麻豆约拍

A peek into the state-of-the-art chemistry lab at聽Cardiff University last week may have been rather disconcerting - and noisy! It was filled with excited 11 to 13 year-olds,聽enjoying some hands-on fun with some practical聽experiments.

Almost lost in their too-big white coats, they were taking part in聽the touring Salters' Festival of Chemistry.聽The aim was to make chemistry more exciting, relevant and fun to young people, and to encourage schools to set up their own chemistry clubs.

Adam Walton聽talks to Dr Simon Pope, Head of Molecular Synthesis at the School of Chemistry and one of the organisers at the event聽- and to Dr Dayna Mason, from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

And he chats to the students as they attempt some聽competitive, hands-on, practical activity using their analytical chemistry skills.聽聽In the afternoon, the youngsters helped to聽develop a new range of paints using Universal Dyeing solution and different pH conditions.聽

And we聽hear about the origins of the Salters' Institute, which has been promoting science for centuries.聽